And two handmade white placards — both proclaiming “Live Like Josh” messages — peeked from a window just left of the entryway.

Inside Byron Nelson High School, an air of solemnity permeated the hallways as students, teachers and administrators grieved over the death of Joshua Hernandez, a senior killed Saturday evening in a one-car wreck.

Josh’s twin brother, Jesse, who was a passenger in the car, held his brother in his arms after the crash and, just a day later, mustered the wherewithal to address nearly 2,000 mourners who gathered at the school.

The gravity of it all began to sink in Monday at Byron Nelson High, where Josh Hernandez was recalled as a compassionate, earnest, hardworking student who wore his faith on his sleeve.

“I’ve never ever been in a school that quiet,” Andrew Mitchell, a senior who has known the Hernandez twins “since sixth grade,” said shortly after school ended Monday.

Before the day was over, Mitchell and his classmates, who’d already staged an inspiring, emotionally charged candlelight vigil Sunday night, got news about Josh’s funeral arrangements from principal Linda Parker.

Donning a silver LLJ ribbon on the lapel of her black two-piece suit, Parker announced over the loud speaker that Josh’s funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Heartland Church in Carrollton.

A visitation will be held at the church the day before, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday.

“It’s been very hard on the kids,” Parker said shortly before making the announcement. “It’s been very hard on the staff.”

The accident, which remains under investigation, happened as the Hernandez twins were returning home from a girls soccer playoff game in Wichita Falls. The car veered off the road in Alvord, in Wise County.

The school, which typically has five counselors on hand, summoned 17 extra counselors from across the Northwest Independent School District, of which Byron Nelson High is a part.

“This is our first student death,” Parker said, noting that the school opened in 2009 with freshmen and sophomores. “We have an incredible community support system for our kids.”

Those who knew Josh well, including his head basketball coach, Scott Curran, fondly recalled how the backup guard stood out on campus.

“He had a tremendous work ethic,” Curran said. “I don’t think he ever had a bad day. And you don’t find too many kids like that.”

Curran said neither Josh nor Jesse were starters, but the Hernandez twins were “the heart” of a team that won a district championship this year and were runners-up last year.

“We’ll definitely be honoring Josh,” Curran said. “The impact he had on our basketball team is not replaceable.”

Josh simply knew how to connect with other people, Curran said. “It was always about his teammates,” the coach said. “It was never about him.”

His selflessness and concern for others transcended sports, his classmates said.

“When I moved here” a few years ago, said Zach Wright, a fellow senior, the Hernandez twins “were some of my first friends.”

“They were the first people who came up to me,” said Wright, who was placing a “Live Like Josh” sticker on the window of his pickup. “They didn’t turn their backs on anybody.”

Joel Quile, lead pastor of the upstart Bara Church, which holds its Sunday morning services in rented space on the high school campus, met Josh through a Young Life program.

He said he was deeply touched by Josh’s convictions and unwavering faith. Once grieving students started to reach out to him, Quile said, his home quickly filled up Saturday night.

On Sunday, when it became evident that hundreds of Josh’s friends wanted to express themselves, Quile decided to rent space from the school so they could hold the prayer vigil.

“When Josh’s brother spoke,” he said, “it felt like someone had taken a wrecking ball to my heart. It was one of the most courageous acts of leadership I’ve ever seen, because 24 hours earlier, he was holding his dying brother.

“And here he was,” Quile said, “addressing 2,000 people, saying, ‘When things are bad, God is good,’ and ‘If you need a ride to church, if you want to know more about Jesus, come find me.’”

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